Roustam Raza, also known as Roustan or Rustam, was a mamluk bodyguard and secondary valet of Napoleon.
Le Mamelouk Roustam Raza by Jacques-Nicolas Paillot de Montabert, 1806
Painting of the Battle of Abensberg by Jean-Baptiste Debret, 1810. Roustam Raza (recognizable by his turban) is depicted in the background at the far right
Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard
The Mamelukes of the Imperial Guard were a cavalry unit that served in Napoleon I’s Imperial Guard during the Napoleonic Wars. Originally made up of Mameluk slave soldiers, the unit eventually was mostly recruited from a wide mixture of Middle Eastern and European soldiers. Originally only mustering a single squadron, a second squadron would be raised from European cavalrymen in 1813, both squadrons served under the Mounted Chasseurs of the Imperial Guard. The various spellings of the squadron's title include Mamelukes, Mamluks and Mamelouks.
M. Ducel, a Mameluke from 1813 to 1815, was one of the last surviving veterans of the Imperial Army.
The Charge of the Mameluks on The Second of May 1808 in Madrid by Jacques Onfroy de Bréville, 1929)
The fight between a Mameluke and a Russian Dragoon, by Jacques Onfroy de Bréville
